Sausage & Polenta {Meal Prep}

This sausage and polenta meal prep recipe is sponsored by Al Fresco. All opinions are my own.

Since my husband starting following a more specific diet last summer, things have changed a bit in our kitchen. Some of the changes are small while others are more major. Since breads and pasta are some of the big no-nos on the diet, we’ve found other grains and starches to accompany the protein and veggies. Polenta has become one of our go-tos. I love how easy it is to make and how tasty it is with the right toppings.

Meal Prep Lunch Ideas

Besides swapping out ingredients and recipes, one of the other changes we’ve made is more meal prepping for his lunches. When we first started on the diet, it was a lot of work to come up with appropriate dishes every night for dinner. Then we had to worry about his lunch as well. While I can usually come up with ideas for dinner, we decided to do more meal prepping for his lunch. The habit has been a life saver.

We always bulk make the starch – rice, millet, and polenta. And we always make extra of whatever protein we’re having, cooking enough for dinner and leftover lunches. Then we divvy this all up between his lunch containers, add veggies, and we’re good to go!

Since I always have a soft spot for marinara/tomato sauce dinners, we have them fairly often. With this polenta and marinara setup, I LOVE adding sweet Italian style chicken sausage. I love that these fully cooked sausages can be easily grilled up for dinner or added to his lunch containers for easy reheating. Talk about perfect!

Sausage and Polenta

Ok. So sausage and polenta is great for make ahead lunches and dinner ideas, but can we just talk about how delectable the combination is? It all comes together super fast, but it tastes so, so amazing! It’s comforting food at its core! We often keep a package of Al Fresco sausage in our fridge or freezer for dinner recipes and make ahead lunches.

Another great part about this recipe is that you can add more grilled veggies to the sauce or even just to each container. You can top it with mozzarella, parmesan, or cheddar cheese. Heck. You could go crazy and add all three! And then if you’re like me, you’ll add some chili flakes at the end for a bit of kick!!

POLENTA AND SAUSAGE {MEAL PREP}

This delicious recipe is great for a quick dinner or to meal prep for the week. Creamy polenta combines with all natural sweet italian sausage and your favorite marinara sauce for a delicious combination. Feel free to top with cheese, veggies, and chili flakes if you want a little kick!

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword dinner, easy dinner, lunch, make-ahead, meal prep

Prep Time15minutes

Cook Time20minutes

Servings4

Ingredients

4cupswater

1cupyellow cornmeal or cornmeal grits

1tablespoonchopped fresh basil

1tablespoongrated parmesan cheese (optional)

1teaspoonfine sea salt, or to taste

4al fresco Sweet Italian Style Chicken Sausage

2cupsprepared marinara

fresh basil leave for garnish

Instructions

Stir together the cornmeal and 1 cup of the water in a large saucepan. Turn to medium-low heat and stir. Meanwhile boil the remaining 3 cups of water either on the stove or in an electric kettle.

While stirring, pour the boiling water into the polenta. Continue to stir and then allow it to come to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the polenta reaches your desired thickness. This will take 7 to 15 minutes, depending on how thick you would like it and what style of cornmeal you use.

While the polenta simmers, heat the sausages in a non-stick skillet over medium-high until browned on each side and warmed through, about 5 minutes.

Remove the polenta from the heat and stir in the basil, parmesan (if using), and the salt.

Divide the polenta among 4 meal prep containers. Slice each sausage link and place one over the polenta in each container. Portion a ½ cup of sauce and place in each container for serving. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

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About

Luci is a California girl with a penchant for comfortably chic style, great food, and travel. When she's not blogging or planning a getaway, you can probably find her sipping on iced coffee in a cafe with her husband.